


Too Much To Ask

by moonp0rn



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angel Cas, Bottom Dean, Cas is VERY in Love With Dean, Cas is scared, Dean is Bad at Feelings, Dean is a Little Shit, Destiel makes me die, First Confession, Fluff, Gay, M/M, Nervous Dean, Top Cas, dean is scared, really gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-20 15:55:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13721031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonp0rn/pseuds/moonp0rn
Summary: It's beginning to look a lot like a whole new year, but Dean couldn't find the right words to pull out of his own mouth.As the seasons go by, Dean starts falling for Cas more and more every day. Maybe it's time for Dean to gather up some of his courage to say how he really feels about his "best friend."





	1. Spring: The Promise Between Brothers

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> Just to clear things up quickly, I have this fic published on Wattpad too, so its an ongoing fic at the moment.
> 
> IMO, don’t expect anything from this fic because I’m still learning, and this is basically the first fic i’ve ever written/WILL complete.
> 
> It would be great if you left a comment for feedback! :) and if you liked it, give it a kudos as well!
> 
> Enjoy.

_"The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also."_

  
_-Harriet Ann Jacobs_

  
_. . ._

  
The morning was truly a beautiful sight. The birds were chirping, the dew drops shimmered with warm light through the tree leaves, the blood stains were still fresh on the pavement— Dean could tell his day was going to be absolutely swell.

He didn't even want to be on this case in the first place, anyway. Sam only dragged him along so he would be able to keep a closer eye on him. Dean didn't want that. He was fully capable of taking care of himself. Plus, it was taking up all of his precious time.

Precious time for what?

Oh, that's right.

 _Cas_.

Dean couldn't stop thinking about those certain pairs of eyes, lately. Ever since Cas' return, Dean had become so...clingy to the man. He thought he was acting quite subtle himself, but he didn't want to overthink any of it.

"You got all your stuff, right?" Dean had asked him some day before, walking Cas to the door of the motel. "Phone? Bullets? What about the knife I gave you-"

" _Dean_ ," Cas sighed, turning around to face the hunter with an eye roll so loud you could hear it from the other side of the world. "I have everything you put into the bag yourself."

"Good!" Dean beamed, smiling at Cas.

Jack could be heard from the couch, typing away on his computer that Sam had bought for him.

"Even if you didn't pack the weapons you gave him," he said, keeping his eyes glued to the screen. "I'm sure Castiel would still be able to survive." Jack looked up from his computer, the light illuminating his face as his headphones blasted music that rested around his neck.

"No offence, Dean."

Dean rolled his eyes. "None taken."

Despite the short time Jack had spent with them, he was already catching on the attitudes of Cas himself. It was hard to adjust to the feeling of Cas being kind of like a father to Jack, but with time, Dean learned to accept it. He really liked Cas, after all. He wanted to support him in every way possible.

Cas gave Jack a look, clearing his throat. "I appreciate Dean's effort on making sure I have everything that I needed. Now, if you'll excuse me..." His foot only made it half way out the door, until Dean quickly stopped him.

"Wait," Dean called, catching the sleeve's end of Cas' new trench coat (which looked so damn good on him).

Cas came to a halt and turned around, an exasperated expression appearing on his face. Dean knew he wanted to leave already, so he tried to make it as quick as possible.

"Just... Call me when you get there, alright?" And Dean blushed.

At this, Cas' face softened, and his sky blue eyes gave Dean butterflies fluttering around his stomach.

"I'll make sure of it," Cas told him, smiling. Dean's breath was caught, and before he felt like passing out, Cas walked away.

_Shit. Shit, shit, SHIT._

Fuck, he loved Cas so much.

He loved how easy it was for him to forgive Dean in a snap of a finger. 

He loved how much patience he kept inside of himself when Dean was being so damn stubborn. 

He loved how Cas tried his best to support him in what he does.

To Dean, that was everything he could ever need in him. But somehow, he wanted more. He wanted _so much more_ from Cas. Dean felt like if he kept these feelings inside of him much longer, he would explode into millions of tiny pieces if Cas never found out.

Every time, Dean would catch himself in a situation where Cas would almost _die_. Purgatory and Lucifer had both screwed him over _big time_. Those moments without being able to see Cas by his side, never being able to hear his endearing voice, tortured him so much. It came to the point where he almost killed himself. If Dean didn't know any better, he might have said it was a more twisted version of _Romeo & Juliet_.

So now, Dean wanted to tell him. Those times where he almost lost Cas had motivated his longing to confess to him. 

But there was just one teeny, tiny problem: he didn't know when, where, or how to do it.

_That was something he still needed to figure out._

"Uh, Dean?"

Sam's voice finally managed to pierce through the veil, catching Dean's attention after calling him sixteen times. “Are you listening to me?”

Dean turned around slowly, his mind returning to reality as he realized he was back outside working on a case. He blinked a few times, before scratching an invisible itch on his nose.

"Uh, yeah, yeah... What?"

Sam rolled his eyes, scoffing. "It's been two hours and you're still out of it. Seriously, what's going on with you?"

Dean shook his head, shrugging, before crouching down to the ground to examine a dark, moist patch lingering on the dirt.

"Eh, it's nothing," Dean explained (or lied), lightly touching the substance with his fingers before looking at it more closely. "Just a little tired- haven't got the chance to make coffee today." He stood back up, raising his eyebrows and lifting a bloodstained finger in Sam's direction.

"Not human blood, by the way."

Dean could tell Sam wasn't very impressed with his skills. His eyes were narrowed, his lips were pursed, and his arms were laid across his chest. He knew he could not be easily fooled.

"Yeah? That's cool, I wouldn't have known...if I hadn't discovered it 15 minutes ago!" scowled Sam, his sarcasm level getting too high for Dean's taste.

Dean sighed in defeat.

 _Cat's out of the bag_.

"Okay, okay!" Dean said, waving dismissively in hopes he'll get let off the hook. "I'll focus this time."

"Dean, come on! Quit it," Sam said, walking over towards him with another irritated eye roll. Dean was about to point a finger at him, before Sam cut him off. "I mean, if you need help, we'll always try our best. You know that, right?"

 _We_ as in him, Jack, and Cas.

Dean took a sharp inhale, closing his eyes. Maybe he didn't want Sam to know about his little secret. Somewhere, deep inside, he felt like he would be judged if Sam had figured out how Dean felt about their best friend, and how his big brother was not completely straight at all.

But, he didn't want to keep it inside any longer. It hurt him, pulling off his act of some macho man every time Sam was facing him. To Dean, the only place where he could truly be himself, was when Sam's back was turned— _alone_ , to put into words. That's why when Sam offered to " _cheer him up_ " by beer and strip clubs that one time, Dean knew that his younger brother had yet so much to learn about him.

"It's about Cas, isn't it?"

Dean almost jolted in surprise.

Now _that_ was something he didn't expect.

"I'm sorry- what?"

Sam shrugged. "The reason to why you're zoning out so much. Cas is the reason, right?"

Dean felt his arms turn into spaghetti noodles.

_Oh my god, shit! God fucking dammit, holy hell mother of Jesus-_

"Uh, _no_ ," Dean denied, putting his hands in his pockets as he tried to whip up some excuse to use against the younger Winchester. "I'm glad we got Cas back. Hell, I may even be happy- but the truth is, I just have so many things on my mind right now."

Dean was always careful when avoiding this kind of thing around Sam, but today, he wasn't as cautious as he used to be. Hopefully, Sam wouldn't be able to notice.

Today was not one of those days.

"Jesus, Dean!" Sam exclaimed, shaking his head. He walked over to Dean and gripped him by the shoulders, shaking him vigorously. "Just give it up already! I already know about your undying love for Cas!" Sam shook his head once more, grabbing chunks of his hair like an insane person about to go manic.

Dean widened his eyes. That scared the hell out of him.

"Sammy, you okay?" Dean asked with hesitation, raising a concerning eyebrow.

Sam only squeezed his handful of hair tighter, shutting his eyes closed. "I- _argh_! I can't keep it to myself any longer! I feel like I'm actually gonna to go crazy pretending I know nothing every time I watch you drool all over Cas with your freakin' _goo-goo_ eyes. It's ridiculous!" Sam ran his hands down his face with agitation, whining.

Dean felt very uneasy. "O-Okay, Sam-"

"Shush." Sam held a finger to Dean's face, as Dean widened his eyes in surprise once more. "Look Dean, I want you and Cas to get together, I really do-" He placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"And as your brother, I have to support you. Straight or not, I don't care who you like. I mean, I always knew you were kinda gay-"

"Sam," Dean wanted to interrupt, but he was quickly shushed again with another sight of Sam's finger. Enough with the finger thing, he wanted to mutter.

" _I always knew you were kinda gay,_ " Sam repeated once again, raising his voice over Dean's retort. "But that never mattered. You've always had it tough, especially when I was around."

Dean dropped his shoulders. "Sammy," he said in a comforting tone. "That's not true."

Sam started to frown, which created dents of dimples on his cheeks, and Dean knew that face all too well.

"No, Dean," Sam insisted, his eyes dropping to the ground. He seemed sad now, appearing guilty, as Dean would describe it. "It _is_ true. You know it. You could never be yourself because I was always around... When dad was around..."

Dean felt his chest tighten. When it came around to the certain subject of his father, Dean had always felt uncomfortable. Somewhere, at the back of his mind, when it gets too quiet, Dean could swear he could hear the " _men don't cry_ ," speech, or the " _your brother would be disgusted_ ," talk.

But to hear Sam giving him the support that he always needed from him?

"Sam, it's not your fault," Dean told him, patting his shoulder. "Things just happen- but it's not because of you."

Sam nodded in understanding, brushing a single hair from his face. Sam's hair just kept getting longer and longer. His bangs, that used to be present on his forehead, had grown out long ago. Dean had to literally tie Sam to a chair so his head could stay still while he trimmed his bangs away.

Oh, how the old days were, before they turned to shit.

  
"I know, it's just-" he paused. "I just want you to be happy. I mean, when Cas got stabbed by Lucifer, you looked like you were ready to end yourself. But when he came back, you never seemed happier. Even _I_ couldn't cheer you up."

Dean felt his cheeks burn at his brother's statement.

So Sam could see it?

Dean hadn't realized how obvious he's been about Cas.

Sam's voice turned soft all of a sudden, and Dean could have just up and gone to get a microphone so he could be able to hear his voice when he spoke.

"Look, Dean," he said, green eyes still fixated on the ground. "Cas matters to you a lot, and I know you matter to him, too. I just don't want you lose another chance to, you know, tell him. Before it's too late."

At this, Dean finally realized why Sam was saying all of this stuff to him.

 _Eileen_.

No wonder Sam looked glum.

Even though Dean wasn't around to see much of it, Sam did care about Eileen an awful lot. They learned to become such good friends- from getting lured into a trap, to a very close friendship. Dean could tell there was more to that underneath.

That's why Dean was able to understand how Sam felt when they found out Eileen had died. Sam was completely devastated. He didn't eat, or drink. He never even came out of his room.

So Sam wanted Dean to be happy. He didn't want him to wait.

Dean pulled Sam down into a tight hug, squeezing him with reassurance. Sam hugged him back just as hard, and Dean chuckled.

"Thank you, Sammy." Dean pulled away, clearing his throat. "I'm glad you, uh, decided to tell me."

Sam smiled sadly. "Of course. What good of a brother would I be?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Duh." He patted Sam on the back and they headed towards the Impala. "Now, enough of that. Let's go crack this case, huh?"

As the both of them stepped into the luxury of their glorious car, Dean couldn't help but smile to himself. There was only a matter of time before he could find the right moment to tell Cas how he really feels.

"By the way," Sam added, leaning into the back of his seat. "Jack knows about you guys, too."

Dean whipped his head in Sam's direction, widening his eyes.

"Wait, what?"


	2. Summer: The Sweetooth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The whole squad go to a carnival to work on a case, thanks to Sam's suggestion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEEYEYYEYE sorry this took so long. its not a very great chapter either but hEY I TRIED MY BEST SJHBC,JSDFBC ANYWAYS BYE

_"In the long dusks of summer we walked the suburban streets through scents of maple and cut grass, waiting for something to happen."_

_-Steven Millhauser_

 

* * *

 

 

The whole team was working in the motel room.Sam and Dean were checking out some lore on their books and laptops, while Cas was tipping Jack on some basics of the use of angel power.

As much as he would hate to admit it, Dean couldn't help but sneak in a glance or two to watch Cas and Jack bond together. He didn't know whether he should feel crushed by cuteness from the way Cas would guide Jack in a fatherly manner, or if he should feel jealous because Cas was spending more time with his son than  _he_ was _._

It was cute, at first. Jack would always go off asking for his father's help, and Cas would always lend him a hand if he needed it— but now, Cas was putting all, if not most, of his attention on him. Dean was selfish, of course. He was fully aware of it, but he couldn't control it.

 _He wanted Cas for himself_.

"Okay." Sam was talking about something he was researching, and Dean  _did_ try his best to pay attention. "So get this— according to the lore, the  _Sphinx_ would kill anyone who couldn't answer her riddles correctly," Sam informed them, holding open a book as he paced the floor. He had an easy access pen tucked behind his ear, and his eyes had told the others about his sleepless nights. "And she was pictured as a woman with a... _body_ of a lion?"

Jack stood up from the couch he was sitting on, casually munching on the hamburger they had all gone to grab a while ago. " _The jacket,_ " he managed to speak through his full mouth, wiping a smudge of ketchup. "Mr. Davidson said it had a  _lion_ on it."

Sam nodded at Jack. "Yeah, that's right."

Cas furrowed his eyebrows. "So we're dealing with something from ancient Egypt?"

Dean popped up from the kitchen, grabbing two beers. " _Greece,_ actually," he corrected him, handing one over to Cas before opening one for himself. "I know— I was thinking about those naked cats."

Cas looked unimpressed with Dean, raising a concerning eyebrow before taking a sip from his beer.

However, Jack seemed to smirk and agree with Dean on that, nodding his head. "Yeah, me too."

Dean raised his beer at him, acknowledging the fact that his  _amazing_  joke didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the room.

At least Dean and Jack were getting  _closer_ , because in truth, he never hated the kid.

"Anyways..." Sam cleared his throat, stiffly turning over a page. "Everyone we talked to had their friends killed over at arcades and stuff like that."

"Huh," Dean hummed in amusement, furrowing his eyebrows together. "Maybe the Sphinx's more a gamer type?"

 _"_ More of like a gaming enthusiast," Cas chimed in, standing up from a chair. "I asked the staff if they noticed a woman wearing the jacket—" he stood closer to Dean.

"They claimed she wasn't there for very long."

Dean shrugged. "You either pay to play, or don't."

Cas turned to look to Dean. "Yes, that's exactly how they described the situation _."_

"And that's how Clara died," Jack added in, finally finishing his hamburger."The Sphinx killed her. Clara was working that night."

Mr. Davidson, one of their " _clients,_ "had told them about his daughter, Clara. Unfortunately, she fell as a victim under the Sphinx's trap. She was working late at the arcade, and it managed to get her. Now, the three of them were making sure it wouldn't claim anyone else.

"So it likes games and puzzles," Cas sighed, sitting back down in a chair beside Dean. "Where can we find it next?"

" _Well,_ " Dean prepared himself to answer. "Today's the famous carnival they have in the town."

Jack furrowed his eyebrows. "A carnival?" He asked, obviously confused as to what it was and why it was so important. "What's that?"

Sam decided to answer for him. "It's where people go to have fun, like play games and-"

"Eat  _lotsa_ food," Dean said, smiling to himself. Jack tried to imagine what it was like.

"Hm. That sounds fun," Jack said.

Dean smiled even more. "Oh, it is."

He could see Sam smirk from the corner of his eye, and to be honest, it worried him a little.

_What could Sam be thinking?_

Then it hit him.

As soon as his idiot brother opened up his mouth to speak, Dean  _knew_ what he was going to suggest, and his stomach clenched in ways he didn't like.

"Say," said Sam, putting his hands behind his back. "Why don't we all check it out?"

_Oh, that sly son of a bitch._

Before Dean could interject, Cas and Jack were already talking about it. "What? The carnival?" Cas asked, furrowing his eyebrows and tilting his head.

" _Yeah._ " Sam stood in between an embarrassed Dean and a confused Cas. He placed a hand on both their shoulders, with one  _abnormally_ strong grip on Deans who tried so hard not to squeal.

"Come on, it'll be fun! Let's  _all_  go."

Dean was gonna fucking kill him _._

"Uh–" Dean tried to sound as calm and collective as he could. He glared at Sam, trying to signal how much he didn't need this right now. "The  _case_?"

Sam shrugged, smiling a bit more. "Well,  _Cas_ did say the Sphinx liked games," he explained, smirking like an idiot when he mentioned Cas' name. Dean rolled his eyes, not wanting to listen, but Sam went on further.

"And you said so yourself that there was gonna be a carnival in town, so I thought, hey— why not put them together?"

Dean whipped his head in Sam's direction. "Put  _what_ together?" He asked, hesitating as he observed the mischievous glint in Sam's eye.

"You and Cas' ideas," Sam suggested, clearing his throat. "I think they should, uh,  _be together_."

Dean widened his eyes. He didn't expect Sam to  _do_ that kind of thing! They were grown men, for fuck's sake— now suddenly they were eight year olds, with one of them almost  _dying_ that their best friend wouldn't tell their crush their most embarrassing secret on the playground.

Who knew little brothers could send secret little messages in public, right?

Sam was nodding subtly, looking at Dean, then Cas, who was sitting beside them. He was urging Dean to make a move.

Dean looked at Cas, and he made contact with his eyes. Unlike Dean, who was screaming from the inside, Cas was confused about this whole thing. Dean was almost certain that Cas knew what Sam was implying, and he prayed that he didn't.

"F-Fine," Dean stuttered, standing up from his seat. He wanted to avoid suspicion, so he decided to go along with it. "We're going."

And with the turn of his heel, he walked off. Because his back was turned to them, Dean couldn't tell  _whatever the fuck_ Sam was doing.

What if he was telling Cas all of his secrets?

What if he was wriggling his eyebrows at him like a fucking idiot?

_What if he was urging Cas on, too?_

 

* * *

 

Dean opened the trunk to the Impala, placing everyone's things inside.

"Let's hit the road!" Dean called out to them in the car, shutting the trunk closed. He slid into the drivers seat, grabbing his coffee nearby and inserted his keys into the ignition. Dean looked into the rear view mirror, checking on Cas and Jack who were at the back.

Unusually, Cas was  _asleep_  in the car. His head was rested against the window, and you know he was bound to have one side of his hair staying flat once he woke up. His hand leaned on his cheek, to support his head so he was more comfortable. His eyes were at rest, and his chest drew back and forth.

Dean watched the angel sleep in peace, his heart jumping in every direction when he would catch the small movements of Cas' breath. He couldn't help but smile a tiny bit.

He looked kinda cute.

And what really made Dean awe over Cas even more, was the fact that Cas never slept much— he never slept at all, but when he  _does_  sleep, it was always because he was drained of energy.

Dean promised to look after him well each time he got hurt.

Finally, prying his gaze away from the sleeping Cas, Dean adjusted himself in his seat. "Everyone ready?" he asked, fingers fidgeting over the car keys.

"Yup," Sam answered, clicking away on his laptop.

"We're all set!" Jack said with excitement, almost as eager to go to the carnival than anyone else.

With a nod, Dean turned the key in the ignition, and the Impala roared to life like a panther awakening from it's sleep.

_What a beauty._

As Dean drove out of the hideous parking lot of the motel, with the wonderful sounds of classic rock drifting back into the highway, they disappeared into the empty street and prepared themselves for the road ahead.

 

* * *

 

 

Dean was the only one awake.

He was driving for about 30 minutes straight, but years of driving for even longer made Dean used to it. Driving was his second favourite thing to do, besides sleeping, of course.

That's what Dean liked about the whole thing. To be driving in the silence.

While everyone else was asleep in the car, he liked to sit through the soft purrs of the engine and wonder about his own life. Indulging himself in his own thoughts, basically. He thought about his past, he thought about his present— most of the time, he thought about his future.

_But who could blame him, right?_

The future was a particularly frightening thing to think about, especially for someone like Dean. With a life of a hunter, he was always expected to die the next week, or possibly the next minute. Growing up, he was told that his life wasn't worthwhile. Nobody cared about what he and his family did, or if they got themselves killed just to make the world a better place. He figured out that death was a  _guaranteed_  possibility, and even if he couldn't make the best of it, he still needed to do what was expected of him. What he wanted didn't matter. He didn't have the time to satisfy his  _own_ needs.

At least, that was what he thought, until Cas came into the picture.

_Oh, Cas..._

The first time they met, they  _for sure_  got off on the wrong foot. You hunt monsters for a living, you  _die,_ go to Hell... The last thing you would least expect was to be completely alive again without anyone making demon deals or summoning spells. So when Dean  _met_ Cas himself, things didn't go the way the both of them would expect.

He loved him.

He  _loved_ him.

He loved  _him._

Dean always knew he felt something for Cas, and he was happy that he found someone who  _finally_ understood him of his faults, of his wrongs, of his  _stupid life._ Sometimes, Dean could never understand why Cas stuck around in the first place, despite all of the things he's done to him. Nevertheless, he was always thankful that Cas was a  _reliable_  angel who watched over his shoulder with such care.

Dean heard some shuffling behind him,and immediately, he was pulled out of his thoughts. He was back in the Impala again, and he remembered driving on the road and working on a case. He glanced into the rear view mirror, and he found Cas fluttering his eyes open from his deep slumber. Dean smiled.

Cas was yawning, sitting up. Dean's suspicion was right: one side of his head had hairs sticking in all sorts of directions, and Cas looked like he was a newborn baby just waking up from a nap. His clothes were a little wrinkled, and one of his cheek had slight creases of sleep marks indented into his skin, indicating he hadn't moved over a period of time.

_What a cutie._

"Rise and shine,  _Sleeping Beauty_ ," he chuckled, grinning. "You sleep well?"

Cas ran a hand down his face. "I feel... _refreshed_ ," he yawned, little droplets of tears forming at the corners of his eyes due to his over exaggerated yawn. He quickly rubbed them away, and Dean couldn't help but awe over him.

Dean nodded. "Yeah? That's great."

A comforting silence hovered over the two of them, and both sat through the soft sounds of the car engine. Dean didn't mind it at all, though. When it came to Cas, he didn't feel the  _need_ to create small talk. Conversations come and go naturally for them, and Dean didn't care  _what_ they talked about. As long as the two of them were comfortable, it was okay.

"How are you, Dean?" Cas asked, finally breaking the quiet atmosphere in the car.

Dean raised his eyebrows. "I'm fine," Dean replied, checking Cas over through the rear view mirror. "Why?"

The rear view mirror was all Dean could depend on the moment, but at least he could still see a little bit of him. Cas was seen shrugging, and he leaned forward a bit more in his seat.

"Nothing, it's just..." Cas trailed off, sighing. Dean raised a concerning eyebrow, and he had his full attention on the angel. He was worried a little bit, and he hoped that nothing was wrong between the two them.

"At the motel, when we were discussing the case with Sam," Cas started to explain. "You seemed kind of- I don't know- distressed? Are you okay?"

Dean's grip on the steering wheel tightened, and his shoulders slightly tensed. He and Cas remained their eye contact through the mirror, and he tried his best not to give any sign away. Dean cleared his throat.

"Yeah, yeah. Just the, uh, usual stuff."

"Oh." Cas furrowed his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yup."

There was an awfully long and awkward pause.

Cas pursed his lips into a thin line, before he  _tsked_ and said, "Alright, then. I just found it quite  _unusual_ for your face to be red if it really was as  _usual_ as you insist it would be _._ "

Dean almost choked on his own spit.

_Real smooth, Dean. Real fucking smooth._

"I wasn't, uh-" Dean fumbled, trying to search for an excuse. "I-It's not..."

Wow, he should've just shot himself. Now Cas was gonna find out about  _everything_ , and he's gonna end up rejecting him, and  _killing_  him, and—

"Dean.. _._ "

He didn't notice the pressure against his shoulder, and Dean quickly realized that the angel's hand was resting upon it. He looked down, catching a glimpse of his fingers, before Cas spoke.

"I'm always here if you need me," Cas whispered, which gave tickling shivers down Dean's spine.

If Dean were to call himself crazy, he might have thought that the other man's breath had brushed past his ear swiftly, as if he could  _feel_ Cas' lips resting against the surface of his skin.

Dean felt warm, his heart racing at the speed of a motorcycle as his voice got caught up in his throat. Cas didn't even  _do_ anything to him, yet the feeling of his breath reaching Dean's ear made him go absolutely wild.

_Oh, how much power a person's whisper can carry._

"Cas, I..."

Dean swallowed nervously, looking into the rear view mirror, finding Cas' eyes reflecting back into his own. Dean stared, not daring to break away, as if Cas' eyes might lose their sparkle if he were to blink for a second. They remained eye contact, and Dean couldn't help but feel a little insecure upon the angel's gaze.

"Thank you," Dean finally breathed out, his shoulders relaxing and his grip on the wheel softening. "I appreciate that, Cas. I really do."

Cas' lips curled into a smile, his eyes crinkling slightly at the corners, and his hand slid off Dean's shoulders.

Once again, they were sitting in the soft murmurs of the Impala's engine, and Dean couldn't help but scream like a little schoolgirl in his own head.

 

* * *

 

After another good five minutes or two, they arrived at the harbour in the town where the all time famous carnival was being held.

"We're here!" Dean announced, finally parking the car in one of the few available spaces that took him almost  _forever_  to find. For a small town, the carnival was absolutely  _packed_ with people.

Sam and Jack jolted forward, waking themselves up, due to Dean's sloppy parking when he had hit the brakes. Sam almost choked himself awake from his own snoring.

" _What the fuck?_ " He coughed, looking around like he was on some sort of alien planet.

"Wake up, Sam!" Jack exclaimed, getting out of the car with much eagerness. Slamming the door shut with an additional shake to the vehicle, his smile was almost as wide as his own face. "The carnival is right outside!"

Everybody stepped out of the car, and the first thing that Dean did was take a look at his surroundings.

First of all, Dean was low-key excited. The opening to the harbour containing the carnival gave him some good vibes, since there was a huge, two door gate slightly covered in rust with the words containing " _Sunny Docks_ " painted in big, red fancy letters at the top. It almost looked like the doorway to a circus. He could hear the blasting music emitting from the doorway, and all the lights and noises coming from each tent and booth lined up at the sides. He could hear kids and grown adults screaming from the top of their lungs from the rollercoaster rides, and Dean could already feel the adrenaline rush through his veins.

Second of all, the air was hot. Like,  _really_ hot. Dean felt like he was sweating bullets from his armpits under his jacket, and the whole place practically smelled like sweaty people who didn't shower for a year. Remotely disgusted, Dean slid off his jacket and decided to stick to his usual two layered pieces of clothing: a plaid shirt mixed of magenta and blue, and a plain ol' shirt underneath. It didn't make the heat go away, but at least the afternoon air would be just enough to pass through to cool him off a little bit.

"So, how do you exactly kill this thing?" Dean asked, adjusting his clothes and rolling his sleeves up just above his elbows. He glanced at Cas, checking to see that  _maybe_ he would catch a glimpse of him staring or something, but he only found Cas casually talking to Jack about whatever the fuck they were talking about.

_Aw, man._

Dean almost ended up pouting like a little toddler.

He wanted Cas to pay attention to  _him_ , and him only.

"Well, the lore described if you answered one of her riddles, she'll let you go," Sam responded, shrugging. "But I don't know what happens after that."

" _Interesting_ ," Jack commented, not sounding like he really was amused at all. It was more sarcastic than excited, but he seemed like he wasn't really interested in hunting down the Sphinx lady. Letting out a small huff, he turned to Dean.

"Can we go inside, now?"

"Only if you pay attention to things relating to the case." He nudged him.

Jack perked up. "Thank you." He turned to Sam and motioned him to follow. "Sam, let's go!"

Sam smirked, following Jack into the massive crowd before looking at Dean over his shoulder.

"We'll let you guys know if we find anything," Sam called out, eyeing Dean with a teasing look. He gave them a thumbs up, before winking and disappearing into the crowd.

Dean rolled his eyes at him.

_Alone time with Cas._

This is gonna be fun.

"So," Dean sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "Where do you wanna start? The hotdog stands? Ferris wheel? Haunted house that's not actually haunted?"

Cas was observing the big gate, eyes flickering over every detail of it. It looked like he was analyzing the rust, before he glanced at Dean with raised eyebrows. "You know," Cas said, scratching his head. "The whole time I've spent here on this Earth, I've never been to a carnival before."

Dean was amused at this fact. "Wait, really?"

If you were in Dean's place, you might have  _thought_ that an unearthly being such as Cas would have known about one of the basic human inventions like a carnival. You might have thought he would have attended one too, but Cas still had many things to learn and experience about human life.

Dean should be used to that by now, but somehow, he's not.

" _Dude_ , you're like a billion years old!" Dean exclaimed in total disbelief. "And you're telling me that you've never hit the pause button to have a little fun down here for yourself?"

Cas looked down sheepishly, sighing. "I never—" He gave Dean a timid look in the eye, and if you were to look closely, you might have even seen a tinge of pink resting at the surface of his cheeks _,_ perhaps.

"I never had the time to, okay?" He mumbled quickly.

_Well this was a familiar looking scene._

Kind of reminds Dean of that one time where it was supposed to be Cas' last night on Earth, and Dean happened to offer the friendly gesture of bringing him along to a brothel. It was actually kind of funny— they ended up getting chased out by security due to Cas' abnormally big mouth.

" _It's not your fault your father Gene ran off. It was because he hated his job at the post office,_ " he had told one of the girls.

Maybe it was supposed to be a kind of mechanism to talk her out of prostitution, or perhaps an act of reassurance? But nevertheless, she got really upset and started screaming and throwing things at him, and a whole bunch of commotion started. Cas and Dean scurried out of the place, and Dean never had a pair of sore cheeks from laughing so hard in such a long, long time.

That night for him, was one of the best.

Dean chuckled, shaking his head. He took Cas by the shoulder, wrapping an arm around him, and he pulled him close into his side.

"Nah, it's alright," he reassured, giving Cas' shoulder a light squeeze. "I mean, it's just—  _nine years_ , man. I can't believe I haven't taken you to one yet."

Cas seemed to roll his eyes and smile, and Dean could feel him press against him further. "You've taken me to many places you thought would benefit our friendship," he said, looking up at Dean. 

"I didn't think I would need to ask for more from you. Especially since you've done so much for me."

Somehow managing to walk still, Dean stared down at Cas with an emotion he couldn't really feel, or evendescribe. His neck started to feel hot, and he could feel his ears being set on fire. Dean was  _speechless._ He was too busy debating whether or not it was supposed to be a heartwarming compliment, or a painful jab to his chest.

"Dean?"

Dean found himself in the mirror of Cas' eyes, the radiant colour of the heavens peering into the windows of his own soul. Dean couldn't bring himself to say anything, so he quickly tried to find some sort of excuse to get himself out of that emotional mess, and slipped his hand off of the man's shoulder.

"Hey, check that out!" Dean distracted himself, jogging up towards a little game booth that was currently being run by a bunch of teen girls who looked like they wanted to die. "It looks cool."

"What is it?"Cas asked him, standing so close beside him that their shoulders were even touching.

"It's one of the carnival games," Dean explained. "You win a prize if you beat the high score."

"Yes, I can see that," Cas added in sarcastically, sighing. "What I  _meant_  was-"

"Hey there," One of the girls spoke up, interrupting Cas before he could even finish what he wanted say. She made way from the back of the game booth towards the two men, her voice strangely high pitched and sultry when she greeted them. "Welcome to  _Thor's Hammer._ Y'all wanna test your strength?"

Dean furrowed his eyebrows in discontent. He observed the girl, who seemed to  _enjoy_ batting her big, bug-like eyes at Cas' beautiful face.

_Oh no._

Not to be melodramatic, but seeing the obvious attraction that girl had for Cas made Dean's blood underneath his skin boil from an unspoken rage that he  _refused_ to talk about.

_No way. No fucking way will this random chic interfere with his game._

"Uh, sure," Dean said, trying to not seem too  _jealous_ around Cas. "We'll play. How much?"

"Five tickets," she responded, leaning over the edge of the booth to rest her arms.

"What if we don't have tickets?" Cas asked, tilting his head.

"That's fine," she told them, looking up at Cas with hooded eyes as she smirked. "You can still play with three dollars."

Dean smiled, reaching into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Great. We'll try one round."

She reached forward and plucked the bills out of Dean's hand, and she shoved them down in her own pocket. "Awesome." She exited the booth, and her hips (which were being embraced by a pair of tight,  _tight_  dark jeans) swayed from side to side as she signalled the two of them to go after her.

"Right this way, boys."

Rolling his eyes, Dean briefly grabbed Cas' wrist and pulled him along. The actual game itself wasn't too far though, since it was basically a 5 step walk away from the booth. As soon as Dean's eyes landed on the game, he lit up, and he had the most  _brilliant_  idea.

The game was called  _Thor's Hammer_ , but really, it was actually just a normal game of striking the bell. The pole stood, having some numbers labelled from 0 to 100, with the last number being the highest score. Right on the head of the pole, a bell that looked like it was taken right out of a random school was sitting on it.

_Dean could totally impress Cas with this._

"So, newbies..." The girl was suddenly holding a huge sledgehammer, shaped to make it look like Thor's actual weapon. "Have y'all played this game before?"

Dean glanced at Cas, grinning like a 12-year-old boy about to win a prize. "We could say it's  _familiar_."

She smiled at Dean's response, and she walked over towards them. "Great! Ya got three tries to get this right." She handed the hammer to Cas,  _winking_ , until she walked off to stand beside the bell tower.

"Dean," Cas caught his attention, his brows furrowing as he examined the sledgehammer with confusion.

"Yeah?"

"How do you exactly play this game?"

Dean smirked at him.

_Aww. Little Angel doesn't know how to play._

"Oh, it's  _easy_ ," Dean boasted, clapping his hands together. "All you have to do is ring the bell with that hammer you're holding. Here, I'll show you."

He took it out of Cas' hands, and stepped forward towards the tower. Dean planted his feet on the ground, widening his stance, and tightened his grip on the leather handle. With a short inhale, he pulled the sledgehammer over his head and let gravity do it's work.

_Clunk._

He hit the target, and his score had revealed itself by the numbers. Dean's face drooped into a frown as he looked at the meter pointer showing him that he landed 50 out of 100 on the first try.

"You didn't hit the bell."

"Shut up! I've gotthis."

Maybe on the second try he would hit it?

_Clunk._

Nah, it didn't work. His strength made him end up with the same score. Dean scoffed.

"Stupid son of a—"

"Easy, tiger," the girl laughed, holding her hand up just in time to stop Dean's words of profanity. "You'll get there eventually. How 'bout you give your little friend a swing?"

Dean blushed. Great, there went his plans for impressing Cas with his amazing strength. "Game is definitely rigged," he muttered, handing the hammer to Cas with a bit of embarrassment. "Here, you try it out."

Cas received the hammer without showing any hesitation, examining it before he took a look at the bell tower. "All I have to do is hit it?"

Dean nodded. "Yup."

"And if I don't?"

"Then we  _lose_ ," Dean told him, slapping him on the back. "C'mon, you can do this."

Cas shrugged. "Okay, then." He walked towards the target with ease, like he's about to meet a friend over for lunch.

"Don't worry about it too much." Dean watched him. "Just make sure you—"

Dean couldn't even finish his sentence, since his eyes had widened in shock. At that moment, he witnessed Cas  _casually_ hitting the target down with one arm, and he hit the bell— which, to everyone's surprise, had managed to  _pop off_ the top of the bell tower. The employees, and a few other people in the distance, had scattered out of the way as the bell hit the ground with an extra ringing sound. The girl stood there, pale and speechless, while Dean had his eyebrows raised in amusement as a small smile formed on his lips. He totally forgot about Cas'  _super strength._  And it wasn't the first time he was completely blown away by it.

"Awesome," Dean breathed out, staring at Cas in absolute astonishment.

Cas turned to Dean, dropping the hammer to the ground as he looked at him with a somewhat sheepish expression. "Sorry," he uttered. "Did I go too far?"

"N-No! Not at all!" The girl stuttered, her hands shaking in fright as she waved them in the air. "Come, choose your prize— y-you deserve it," she squeaked. Her voice had changed, becoming more high pitched and scared unlike how it was before: husky and flirtatious. She probably got freaked out by Cas, since she tried avoiding his eye when she guided the two of them to the booth.

"That was amazing, Cas!" Dean exclaimed, grabbing him by the shoulder as he wheezed hysterically. "You scared the shit out of everybody— I almost  _died_."

Cackling, they returned to the booth to claim a prize. Dean told him to pick whatever toy he wanted, pointing at the bears, birds, a huge stuffed plushie of a honeybee...

"I think this is a good one," Cas spoke, holding a small toy kitten in his arms. Dean raised his eyebrows, not expecting that kind of turn.

"Knowing you, I thought you'd get the honeybee," Dean admitted, raising an amused eyebrow. Cas laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and Dean could feel a small string tug at his heart. Cas held out the small kitten in front of him.

"This isn't for me— it's for you."

Dean's breath stopped. That kitten, with red threaded stripes for fur, with big green buttons for eyes, was for  _him_?

"What?" Dean went to take the toy from Cas' hands, their fingers brushing against each other slightly. "That's very..."

 _Sweet of you_ , he wanted to say. But Dean kept his mouth shut.

He nervously chuckled, trying to play everything off. "That's kind of ironic. You know I'm allergic to cats."

Cas shrugged. "I'm aware of that. But they match your eyes." He suddenly leaned forward, his face so close to Dean's that their noses were almost touching. Cas scattered over the details of his face, examining each freckle, and his eyes darted back and forth between Dean's eyes. "They're both green, like the colour of a Jade gemstone. They're actually quite beautiful to look at."

Dean could do nothing but fluster and blink.  _He was definitely talking about the gemstones, right_? Dean's heart beat a thousand times per minute, and he realized his breath started to hitch. Cas was a thief that way— he could steal your heart, even if he was just talking or not saying anything at all. Dean liked to wonder if Cas had any idea what his words or actions did to him sometimes. For sure, it made Dean's head spiral.

_Ring ring ring!_

Dean felt a vibration in his back pocket and he almost jumped from surprise. He grabbed the phone and held it to his ear, knowing that Sam was on the other line. "Yeah?"

" _We found her_ ," he said, voice almost covered by crackling static through the receiver. It must be the bad reception. " _Can you hear me? Get over here as quick as you can_."

"On it." Dean ended the phone call, and he started to walk away from the toy booth. "C'mon, they need our help."

Cas nodded, following Dean. "I'm right behind you."

 

 


End file.
